Are You Looking for the Best Career in 2020? Choose One of Top 10 Financial Certifications!

The financial certifications for the IT professionals are indicators of expertise in specific aspects of the financial industry. An individual pursuing such a credential is typically required to complete several hours of coursework and then pass a prerequisite exam. Moreover, the candidates need to adhere to the standards of professional ethics. And even after obtaining a certificate, you still have to take the continuing education courses. This ensures that the certification holder is maintaining his/her badge and knowledge.

When you are working with a financial advisor, you may not know what certificate for the IT specialists you should look for. In this blog post, we want to help you identify the best credentials in the industry. We hope to do so by presenting you with a short financial certification list that contains the top certs you can pursue. Let’s check them out together!

1. CMA – Certified Management Accountant

A certified management accountant is an expert in management accounting. More often than not, these specialists tend to work on the corporate side, rather than in counting private practice. These individuals use their skills in management and accounting to make strategic and critical financial business decisions. The CMA exam is administered by the IMA. The test has two parts and evaluates the students in various financial competencies.
CPA – Certified Public Accountant

This certification is intended for the financial analysts, tax authorities, and accountants. It is among the most widely recognized and popular credentials in the financial field. This certificate is administered by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA). The CPA certification requires 150 hours of coursework and then sitting for a rigorous exam. If you want to get financial advice concerning organizing investments and reducing taxes and a licensed badge for it, then this credential can be very helpful.

2. CAIA – Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst

This certificate is meant for the experts managing alternative investments such as real assets and hedge funds. The charter program usually takes about one year to complete and it is run by the CAIA Association. It includes a coursework and an exam if you are considering putting a part of your portfolio into some alternative investments. The professionals holding this credential are those individuals who get the skills you cannot found anywhere else.

3. CFP – Certified Financial Planner

A certified financial planner is a well-versed specialist in various domains across the financial sector. This professional assesses the full portfolio of his/her clients before providing personalized financial plans. To become a CFP, it is required that the candidates complete a specific set of courses and then pass a prerequisite exam that takes 6 hours in total (two 3-hour sessions over a day) to answer 170 questions. The test belongs to the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. Since the passing rate for this exam is 67%, this credential is not so easy to obtain. If you are working with the financial planners who have earned the CFP certification, then you can be sure that these experts know what they are doing.

4. CMFC – Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor

Are you planning to invest in mutual funds? If so, then you should work with a CMFC. Those individuals who hold this certification are the true experts in the field. To become one, you need to complete a self-study course and also pass an exam, which is offered by the College for Financial Planning. The coursework is developed to prepare the designers to have a comprehensive understanding of the complexities not only in the field of mutual funds but also in other packaged investment products.

5. ChFC – Chartered Financial Consultant

Created as an alternative to the CFP credential, ChFC is currently one of the best financial certificates available. It is created to offer the specializations beyond the essentials of CFP. In case you have a small business planning or financial planning for a divorce, the best expert for you to work with is a chartered financial consultant. The American College of Financial Services is the body that runs the course and the ChFC certification program. The credential requires the completion of all the courses in your selected path, compliance with the requirements for experience and ethical standards, as well as their approval on your part.

6. CFA – Chartered Financial Analyst

A chartered financial analyst is a professional in the areas of securities and investments. The CFA certificate is arguably the most recognized and respected investment management badge in the world. This makes it one of the top financial credentials available for the IT specialists today. The CFA Institute is the body that administers the program that requires the candidates to cover and master three levels of the curriculum with an exam for each. If you need an investment manager, then working with a chartered financial analyst will be the perfect choice.

7. CLU – Chartered Life Underwriter

This is also one of the best financial certifications for the insurance agents. The holders of this credential are the experts in risk management, estate planning, and life insurance. While there are no comprehensive exams, the students must take 8 courses in total: 5 core and 3 elective ones. The American College of Financial Services is the body that administers this training.

8. FRM – Financial Risk Manager

A financial risk manager is a specialist in risk management. Those individuals who hold this certification often work as the risk analysts in banks. The certificate holders can also work with the private clients who are seeking for investment advice. To become an FRM, one has to pass a two-part exam that contains multiple-choice questions. The Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) is the body that administers the prerequisite test.

9. CIC – Chartered Investment Counselor

This is a subclass of the CFA certification path. It is designed for those applicants who work in portfolio management and investment counseling. To be eligible for the CIC credential, an individual must have a minimum of 5 years of working experience. He or she also needs professional and character references, besides working as a fiduciary. In case you have a very large portfolio and you need a high-level expert who is experienced to manage your investments, a CIC is a professional you should look for.

Conclusion

This was a list of the 10 most sought-after financial certifications that you can pursue in 2020. It is up to you to decide which one to choose, you can even try several of them. The most important thing in this situation is to prepare with great deliberation. So, go for one of the above-mentioned credentials and boost your career!

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